Materials

• Outline maps of Europe during WWI and Europe after WWI
• Textbook
• Colored pencils

Instructional Activities

NOTE: In this exercise, the students will not only develop their own maps, but they draw inferences in order to answer questions related to their maps.

1. Explain to the class that map of Europe was drastically altered after WWI. The Treaty of Versailles, which ended the war, dramatically altered the existing political boundaries. Provide students with two historical outline maps: 1) Europe during WWI (Map A) and 2) Europe after WWI (Map B). Students may use their textbooks or an atlas of United States History.
   
   
2. Have students color code Map A to show the following:
   • the Allied Powers
   • the Central Powers
   • the Neutral Nations.
   
   Instruct students to label their map neatly and clearly and to include a legend.
   
   
3. When students have completed their map, have them answer the following questions:
   • Why was the alliance between France and Russia a threat to Germany?
   • Which countries bordered Italy? Based on that information, why do you think Italy sided with the Allies?
   • What was the possible impact on Great Britain, France, and Italy of a German blockade?
   • How does Map A help us see why the United States decided to enter World War I?
   
   
4. Have students color code Map B to show the new nations created after the war. Instruct students to label their map neatly and clearly and to include a legend.
   
   
5. When students have completed the map, have them answer the following questions:
   • How did the Allied Powers “punish” the Central Powers after the war?
   • What new countries were created as a result of World War I?
   • How does Map B help us to see that entering World War I made the United States a leader on the international level?